Lebanon — Developer Doug Homan criticized the results of a city wastewater study on Tuesday, accusing engineers of manipulating figures to jeopardize the proposed Carter Country Club Houses on the Hill subdivision.

The study, which was released in July, found there is enough room in Lebanon’s wastewater system for developments already approved by the Planning Board. However, Homan’s project would place the system over its city-mandated threshold — a finding that he argues was intentional.

“All we are hearing is ‘Oops. We had to make a few adjustments and here are the numbers,’ ” Homan told the board during a meeting on Tuesday night.

The city also won’t release the result of a draft report completed in May, he said, and did not communicate with him when engineers went over an agreed-to timeline.

“We would like to see the data,” Homan said. “I don’t think that’s an unreasonable request.”

City officials said there was no data manipulation; rather, early attempts to model the current sewer system were providing inaccurate results, showing current flows to be blowing off manhole covers, they said.

City Engineer Christina Hall said that’s when engineers with the consulting firm Wright-Pierce went back to adjust their calculations.

There also was an effort to calculate flows without some “wet” days, or days when rain and flooding might have impacted the system and thrown off results.

“I believe the bottom line is that, yes, Mr. Homan was asked to pay for that study so that the city could have a better sense of a particular issue. That doesn’t mean it’s his study,” city Planning Director David Brooks said.

May’s draft report isn’t a public document, Brooks told the board, so it will not be released to anyone. That stance is backed up by the city’s attorney, as well as the City Manager’s Office, he said.

Homan’s hopes of constructing 283 single-family homes on a 300-acre parcel off of Buckingham Place and Slayton Hill Road is very dependent on the city’s response to the study, which predicts the development will put several pipes at or over 80 percent capacity.

Using the 80 percent limit, the study found the line carrying water from the downtown area into the West Lebanon water treatment plant can only handle an additional 110,000 gallons of wastewater per day. That amounts to roughly 32 homes, according to Brooks.

 

“If you were to give us 32 units, that would be the end of development in the vast majority of the city,” Homan said. “So in my perspective, we spent 2½ years before this board. We spent half a million dollars and the city said ‘Whoops, sorry.’ ”

 

Homan received more bad news from the results of a study released on Tuesday analyzing the development’s proposed water system.

That study, which also was conducted by Wright-Pierce, said the development likely wouldn’t meet the water flows and pressure required for homes.

“Once again, we object,” Homan said, adding the study was completed three months ago and Tuesday’s meeting was his first time seeing it.

 

It’s unclear whether the water and sewer issues will be resolved by the city before the Planning Board can deliver the findings from its preliminary review. Board members on Tuesday decided to move forward with drafting a determination on the project with hopes of making a final decision in the upcoming months.

 

Homan said he will attempt to work out a solution with the City Council, which is planning to discuss a possible sewer fix, although it’s not yet known how long that process will take.

“I think we’re still in the initial phase, gathering information and asking questions as a council. We’re not passed that,” said Mayor Sue Prentiss, who sits on the Planning Board as it reviews Homan’s project.

 

The Planning Board also decided it won’t require Homan to complete a drainage study for the subdivision, saying conditions could change between now and when there’s a determination on the future of the sewer system.

“With the information that we have now about the water and sewer studies, there’s enough there to imply Mr. Homan really can’t proceed with this development plan,” board member Ken Morley said.

 

The board will next discuss the project and any updates at a special meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26.

Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.